This is Yamatozakura's house brand - this flagship imo (sweet potato) shochu is made using local Kagoshima Koganesengan sweet potatoes and white rice koji. This is the quintessence of hand-made Satsuma Shochu (Kagoshima sweet potato shochu). Get pleasant, well-rounded earthiness and sweetness, with notes of black pepper and tropical fruit on the nose and palate. This is perfect shochu for any occasion - enjoy it on the rocks, mizuwari (with ice and water), or oyuwari (cut with hot water) to experience the different characteristics of this drink. Experiment with food-pairings as well! Kayoko loved this one on the rocks with chinese food. Check it out on Shochu'sday! 

Those of us who have enjoyed shochu in Japan (or those of us who commit hours of time checking out bars and liquor stores in Kyushu on Instagram) will no doubt recognize the iconic branding of Yamatozakura. Master Distiller Tekkan-san runs one of the smallest distilleries in Kagoshima, specializing in white koji and clay-pot fermentations which ultimately lead to very drinkable, high-quality shochus that are affordable and great with all types of food.

Read about Ian's visit to Yamatozakura here! 

Tekkan-san has a small team of local obaasan and ojiisan (grandmas and grandpas) who deftly cut and clean the sweet potatoes by hand and assist in steaming, bottling, and labeling the shochu. Follow their Instagram here for a glimpse into their Kagoshima shochu-stylings. You may also get to catch the occasional live-stream of their shochu-making process come distilling season! We hope you enjoy these shochus as we celebrate their American debut.

Features

• Distilled in Kagoshima, Japan by Yamatozakura Shuzo
• Distilled from Koganesengan imo (sweet potato) and kome (rice)
• ABV 24% / Koji: white (rice) / Distillation: atmospheric
• Kame (clay pot) fermented and matured
  
• 25.4 oz (750 ml)